500ml bottle. Dark ruby/brown. The head lets it down compared to most Belgian dubbels. Aroma is very good though. Chocolate, prune, orange peel and leather, plus the spices really come to the fore. Taste follows similar lines, and whilst enjoyable it doesn’t feel nearly as elegant as the aroma did. Spiciness here is more from the yeast than anything added. Plenty of positives but I wish everything coalesced a bit more.

Squat bottle from Smith’s. Pours deep ruby with no head. Tastes caramelly, sweet, cloying and malty, with mild hops, some fruity and vegetal notes, and a crappy finish. This is a drain pour, my first in years. Got even more vegetal as it warmed.

Lots of aroma coming off this beauty. Initial sniffs brought forward some very grape juice notes, that gave way after a moment to raisin, toffee, and lightly roasted grain. The dark beige head was between fizzy and foamy and retained nicely. The colour is a rich brown with some cloudiness. The flavour is sweetness finished with some bitterness and a touch of umami slides in there at the end as well. The after taste lingers for a few moments and is just this side of bitter. The medium body could be a tad more full to really help carry the flavours, but otherwise very nice.

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